In any country, street food is usually fresh, cheap, and authentic, especially if you get away from touristy areas. While your pristine hotel dining room may seem cleaner, busy food stalls where there’s a high turnover are actually a better bet than a kitchen where food might sit around for hours.

The folks at Frommer’s describe their top 10 food stall choices, and offer the following suggestions when choosing a vendor:

Make sure the same person isn’t handling both food and money

Check to see that the food is covered

Most importantly, follow the locals. If they’re queued up at one stall, they’re probably on to something good.

My favorites? Sugar cookies hot off the griddle in New Delhi, pho in Vietnam, and fish tacos in Mexico. Oh, and reindeer sausage dogs in Alaska.

Thanks to jascha on flickr for bringing back memories of street-side dining in Saigon.